Figuring out the cost of In-home Care in Anchorage can seem daunting. However we all know, finances and costs play a big role in the decisions we make about the care of our elderly family members and loved ones. Often we know that in-home health care has reached the limits of what it can provide and that our loved one would be better off in the trusted care of a vibrant senior living facility. Especially when there are needs involving memory care or acuity care, in-home health care may simply not be appropriate.
The good news is that a senior living community is probably a lot more cost effective than you think it is. Often people are intimidated by hearing the total cost of all inclusive pricing and don’t take into consideration or are not aware of what the total cost of in-home health care really amounts to. It‘s time to really compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges, and then also take into account all of the advantages that a senior community like Baxter Senior Living in Anchorage, Alaska can give your family and senior loved one that in-home health care in Anchorage can not.
The Cost of Maintaining a Household
One of the biggest expenses of in-home care is the home the senior is being cared for in. The average price of a monthly mortgage in Anchorage, Alaska, combined with property taxes and homeowner’s insurance is $2,185. This is just the price of having the house. There are other costs to be considered as well, such as home maintenance, lawncare and landscaping, and snow and ice removal, along with security and fire protection, all of which combined, costs around $550 per month. Properly working utilities are also necessary. Maintaining heat, electricity, trash, water, and sewage are necessities, but so are utilities for communication such as cable, internet and telephone. These utilities together come to around $700 per month. All told, to maintain the typical household that a senior lives in will cost around $3,435 per month.
Baxter Senior living offers spacious and accessible one bedroom, studio and shared apartments with different floor plans to choose from. The community is located in the beautiful foothills of the Chugach Mountains and has well landscaped grounds that include a pavilion and gardens with excellent grounds and building maintenance. Cable, wifi and a private phone line as well as all other utilities are included.
The Cost of Personal Care
Of course the cost of maintaining a household does not include the costs associated with personal care which are also part of the all inclusive price of a living community like Baxter. A senior living at home will likely spend around $500 a month on food, but this number doesn’t account for expensive delivery fees that may be paid if your loved one is looking for a little variety or better quality in their meals. Light housekeeping and laundry services will add an additional $375. Often families try to cut corners on these services, but that often to these things not being attended to or family members having to overextend themselves in order to get it done. Entertainment and transportation costs as well as costs for things that support personal care such as gym memberships should also be considered. For most seniors this adds an additional $685. This brings the total of costs for personal care associated with choosing a lifestyle dependent on in-home health care to $1,550 in addition to basic household expenses.
Baxter Senior Living is very proud of the cuisine they offer. Three meals a day are included. Meals are hot, fresh and made to order! There is a weekly housekeeping and linen service as well as scheduled personal transportation to doctor’s appointments and weekly outings. The campus itself offers a variety of options for entertainment, including a movie theatre, coffee bar, sunroom, and craft studio.
The Cost of In-home Care in Anchorage
Another cost included in Baxter Senior Living’s all inclusive pricing is Home Health Care services and senior focused activities. A Home Health Aide who visits a senior who is being cared for in-home, comes by for four to six hours several days a week. The aide may do a bit of light housekeeping or help make a meal. The aide will likely spend time running errands for the senior. Home Health Aides are also important because they become friends with the seniors they look after and also provide a sense of companionship when they visit. A Home Health Aide will cost about $520 a month, but this does not include any needs that occur after hours, on weekends or beyond the few days a week that they are scheduled. When services are available at these times, they come with extra fees.
Residents at Baxter have a different experience. Baxter Senior Living provides 24 hour care by trained staff and full time licensed nurses. Baxter provides personalized care plans for activities of daily living, daily wellness checks and tons of great enrichment activities and social events.
Advantages of a Senior Community
There are also many advantages to living in a senior community like Baxter that should be considered. The floor plans of the apartments are designed for seniors and are spacious and accessible allowing for more freedom of movement and safety for the resident. There is a vibrant and lively community of senior residents to interact with. This community enhances the resident’s life greatly. Friendships are formed as the residents experience life together, relate to one another and share in milestones and holidays as a community. Baxter takes bus trips to local places of interest that vary from outdoor experiences to shopping to shows.
Seniors are sadly often limited most by a misplaced belief that hanging on to the home they have lived in for many years will give them independence. It is often that very home that is limiting and keeps the senior from being mobile, social and living a full and independent life.
With everything added together, the cost to maintain a household and provide personal care for a senior using in-home health care in Anchorage is about $5,600 per month. The all inclusive price of Baxter Senior Living starts at $5,950.
